When I started out homeschooling, I read about the Handbook of Nature Study, probably in Pocket Full of Pine Cones but possibly in the Veritas Press Catalog. I mentioned wanting it to my friend L, and she promptly gave me her copy, "You are the sort of person who will actually use this." she complemented me. I read it, got over whelmed, and decided to try to keep it in the car for reference. Each year I tried again. It was like an alter call that I kept backsliding from. So last Summer I read a link to the Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival, and found The handbook of Nature Study Blog
Wow. A manual for the manual.
I marked my calender with months various plants should be doing something noteworthy, then let the milkweed grow in what was supposed to be our trial/nursery bed. With little boys, the advise is to start with creepy crawlies, but as I blogged elsewhere, K is cute, messy and organic enough for now.
In fact, she found waiting for the boys to write their observations and finish their drawings maddening, whether she was in her stroller, blanket, my arms or B’s. I finally left B in the yard to finish up and brought her inside to nap. She went to sleep right away. M played with blocks. (or did he watch TV? I don’t remember how good I was being that day)
But before all that, I pulled out the milkweed that was growing through the bushes, cut it at various places to show the milky secretion, decided not to let a drop dry on their hands (just in case they develop a latex intolerance, there is a lot of latex in the world, it’s an inconvenient intolerance), and had them draw the leaves and plant. I thought it was fun to poke a needle in between the nectar "cornucopias" and see the pollen sacks pop out, but it was so small I could have used a magnifying glass, no wonder the author mentions a lens. I did see a bee with pollen sacks stuck to her feet, but she was moving too fast for the boys to see her too. We had two different sorts of bees working the flowers, and lots of flies too.
I left the milkweed growing in the garden for the butterflies later on, but I did pull the ones out of the lawn and shrubs. Enough is enough.
I took M’s dictation in his book, and managed to get the boys to write sequentially in their books, instead of on random pages. We glue sticked the drawings in later.
So, did my new photo show up?
I have the Handbook, too, and love it… when I can pull it out and use it. Which isn't as much as I'd like, because… well, it's daunting. I'll be looking at the manual. Thanks for the tip!
Annie